In 1839, Charles Orborne took out a British patent was taken out on a spring corkscrew with a ratchet mechanism. Until now, only one example of the corkscrew was known. In November, another version appeared on French eBay. It sold for €22,410 ($au 31,000).

The next day, a second Osborne corkscrew appeared at Reeman & Dansie’s auction house in Colchester. This one had a broken ratchet mechanism and an inscription stating that it was made from iron from the old London Bridge (which was dismantled in 1831). The estimate was £400 – £600. It sold for £40,000 ($au 77,000) plus buyer’s premium.

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